Resurfacing
by DealingDearie
Summary: After the defeat of Thanos, The Avengers went into retirement, and the world fell into seven years of good fortune, but things are changing, and the team once again finds themselves in a danger of a different kind-and this time, it's a little closer to home, and they might not make it out alive. *Third in the series, after 'Choice' and 'Moments'.*
1. Chapter 1

Loki was content, for the most part, to sit with Nari and read him bedtime stories until his eyes fell shut, but the soreness in his ribs had him wincing long before his youngest son nodded off, and he was debating on whether or not to employ a little bit of sleep magic on the boy, expectantly looking up at him with unblinking silver eyes, his small face worn out from the day's events. Loki smiled down at him, and, resisting his body's protests, decided to curl up with his son and a book of stories, and read, far into the night, one of his favorite childhood tales, making sure to add a few things of his own to it.

Vali, oddly absent, was off in the rest of the palace, running wild somewhere in the near vicinity, and Sigyn was trying to track him down, frustrated at her son's sly abilities to avoid both of his parents for the better part of the day, off playing with Thor and Jane's little girl. Loki could hardly blame the boy, though. Their young daughter was beautiful, with brown curls and ocean deep blue eyes, and Vali hadn't taken his eyes off of her once since their first meeting.

The thought made Loki smile as Nari began to snore against his chest, and he quietly climbed out of the bed, leaning in to plant a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead, before blowing out the single candle still lit on a nearby table.

"Goodnight, Nari," he whispered softly, and slipped out of the room and down the golden halls, already dreading trying to hunt down Nari's older brother.

He grimaced as he moved wrong, and the persistent pain flared up again, lancing through his torso as he hurried into the main hall, where Sigyn was standing, her hands planted on her slender hips. He was cursing Thor when he finally caught up to her-sparring had always been Thor's game, and the god had become increasingly violent with his practice, and Loki was left with bruises and sore bones for days.

Sigyn turned, sighing exasperatedly, and motioned to the next hall over, shaking her head. Her mirrored eyes reflected the light, and her face, still unchanged, even after the years it had been since he'd met her again, was set in a mask of worry, and she bit her lip every now and then to keep from a breakdown.

"I just don't know where he could be," she murmured worriedly, and Loki put a hand on her shoulder, smiling crookedly.

"I do. Wherever Selene is, Vali will be right at her side. He's completely head over heels for the girl-he'd follow her anywhere," he offered knowingly, and Sigyn broke out into a wide smile, laughing.

"He's already a ladies man. Wonderful." Throwing him a sideways glance, she started to walk off, and he rushed to catch up with her, the pain presenting itself once again.

"Thor's going to have to lighten up with the sparring," he said, annoyed, walking at her side down the long hall, "and speaking of Thor, I bet he'd know where Selene is." She made a face, and shook her head, her silvery hair shaking against the smooth material of her night dress.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. You know how Thor and Jane are arguing. Their little spats either end in a week long rainstorm or Thor having to sleep in our room, and both are equally awful. I don't want to interfere. Let's just try to find him on our own, hm?"

Loki laughed, having to accept her logic, and made an offer to split up, to which Sigyn readily agreed.

...

An hour later, Loki was tugging a complaining Vali in one arm, and his other was occupied by an amused Sigyn, her hand entwined in his. Vali squirmed restlessly, and cast his green gaze up at his parents imploringly, pouting.

"I don't want to leave Selene. We were having fun," he whined ceaselessly, and Loki rolled his eyes half-heartedly.

"You can have fun with her tomorrow." He blinked, and made a face, and shook his head at Sigyn, his thoughts written all over his face.

"On second thought, no. Don't have fun with her. If I tell you that, in a few years, you'll be a teenager thinking the wrong thing. And Thor would surely kill me. So, just…don't be in her company so much, alright?"

Vali huffed, a spark of lingering confusion in his eyes, and frowned, saddened.

"But she's so pretty…" Loki whipped around, still walking, and gave his son a hard stare.

"_Exactly. _So don't go pestering her. Uncle Thor will have my neck if he gets the wrong impression."

"And what impression would that be, Loki?" Sigyn asked teasingly, and the god turned to send her a withering stare, laughing humorlessly at her quivering smile.

"That's enough for one night," he murmured tiredly, and when they finally came upon the doorway to Nari and Vali's bedchambers, seven year old Vali crossed his arms and stuck his chin out defiantly.

"I'm not tired."

Loki had faced many challenges in his life, but getting Vali to go to sleep was a struggle of a different kind.

**Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)**

**What do you think? Should I continue? (Though I probably will, since I actually have ideas for this one xD)**

**For the sake of plot, let's just assume that Asgardians age normally, then slowly-because, after all, this is fanfiction, where almost anything goes. **

**Sorry that this chapter is so short! I promise that the next will be longer-this was a little bit of a precursor, if you will.**

**All rights go to their respectful owners. I own nothing. **


	2. Chapter 2

"I've told you a thousand times, Tony. It wouldn't hurt," Pepper whined, curled up on her side as she rested against the downy pillows of their king sized bed, the light, strawberry blonde strands of her hair splayed out around her head like a blood stained halo.

He gazed at her, leaning against the head board with a sketchpad of new designs for some machine he was building held loosely in his hands as his dark eyes roamed over the old drawings critically, and he bit the end of his pencil in thought, sparing her a quick glance before flipping the page to start a new sketch. She sighed, rolling on her back with her slender arms crossed over her abdomen, and frowned longingly as a slight pout crept onto her features, and her husband began to scribble away on the notepad he was clinging to. She pressed the back of her head into the pillow and screwed her eyes shut, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyelids.

"I just….don't see how having a family could be bad."

And Tony, though seemingly occupied with his pencil and paper, gazed over at her somber form with a concerned gleam in his eyes, the saddest remorse shining therein, and looked down at his half-finished drawing of a small baby, sighing inwardly.

...

"No…Ricky-_Rick_! NO! _Don't _eat that!" Natasha yelled harshly, rushing to her two year old son as he tried to squirt glue into his mouth, struggling to rip it out of his hand quickly, berating him all the while as he pouted and began to wail.

"Don't give me that. You _know_ you can't eat glue. How many times have I told you? Oh, stop crying," she murmured, bending down on all fours to scoop him up into her warm arms, cradling his tiny head as she patted his back, trying to make the fat tears dripping down his face cease with their rolling. His red hair was mussed atop his forehead, grey eyes shining with liquid, fat cheeks reddened and quivering as he buried his face into his mother's shoulder, and she frowned sympathetically, sighing.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you," she whispered into his ear, and his small grip in her hair tightened, like he was clinging to the one thing that could anchor him to the earth.

Clint, carrying a giggling Lily on his back, walked in to the living room, searching for the source of the incessant crying. When his light eyes landed on his wife and son, his face fell with understanding, and the curly haired, red headed toddler clinging to his neck sobered, her awareness already sharp. Natasha had always thought she'd make a good spy, when she was older, but all thoughts of that lifestyle had disappeared the moment she'd decided to settle down, and she smiled at her daughter, the freckled face twin of the boy in her arms. Ricky sniffled, and reached out with wiggling fingers to his father, who smiled warmly, managing to wrestle Lilly off of his shoulders and into his hold, and he motioned to his wife, nearly laughing.

"Trade?" Clint asked casually, and Natasha replied with a short laugh, nodding in a tired sort of agreement.

"Don't I always?"

...

"I mean, I just can't catch a break," Bruce observed frustratingly, slamming his glass of beer down on the bar, pushing the rim of his glasses-which had the seemingly sudden habit of always being positioned lower than normal upon his nose-up a fraction, sighing heavily. Steve nodded at his long-time friend, and stifled a small smile.

"Can't say I understand, really. Beth and I have been going steady for a while now, you know-'bout five years." Bruce gave him a look over his thin glasses, and then proceeded to laugh, the tone of self-pity laden in every breath.

"Yeah, man. I'm happy for you and all, but my congratulatory responses are being lowered by how nonexistent my girlfriend is." He took another sip, and wiped his mouth on his shirt sleeve, oblivious to the odd look Steve threw his way.

"Maybe you should take a break, huh?" Steve asked nonchalantly, and the scientist turned lazily to smile crookedly, and it was the most laidback the Captain had ever seen the man.

"_Oooooor _you could take a drink of your own. Stop being so," Bruce lightly slapped him on the shoulder, a loose gesture that screamed intoxication, "uptight." Steve laughed uneasily, shaking his head.

"Alcohol just doesn't do it for me, and right now, I think we need to get you home. A good night's sleep and you'll be feeling as good as ne-or, maybe not so good- but then we'll get some coffee in you and before you know it, you'll be back to your normal self," he suggested, the undertone of firmness lurking beneath his voice, and Bruce lifted a brow, smirking.

"And who's going to make me?"

Steve rolled his eyes, and as he tugged Bruce out of the bar, he pretended not to notice the longing looks many of the girls there were sending his way.

...

"Boys are evil, remember that," Thor warned seriously to his young Selene, who watched him, rapt with the attention shining in her oceanic eyes, her rosy cheeks lit up with blood as she smiled up at her father. Jane's brown eyes widened and she turned to him, gaping, shaking her head at her husband disapprovingly.

"_Thor_." He chuckled, but turned serious directly after, pointing to his daughter.

"But I'm serious. Vali is a boy, and what are boys?" Selene rolled her eyes jokingly, but at the god's overly expectant expression, she wilted, and frowned, crossing her small arms petulantly.

"Evil," she muttered, and Jane laughed at her daughter's defiant tone. Thor opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short by a gentle hand on his bicep, his wife's penetrating glare enough to shut him up.

"I think she understands, Your _Majesty_." Thor smirked at her, and she pulled him over, after a goodnight kiss from Selene, to the doorway, and bid her goodnight with warm words, smiling until the door was closed. Jane slapped him on the shoulder, hard, and frowned up at the towering blonde.

"Vali's a good boy. If he did anything to Selene, I don't even _want_ to know what Loki'd do to _him._ Just let things take their course, Thor."

She walked off in the direction of their bedroom, her blue pajama pants and tank top stretching shadows down the hall.

"You can't protect her forever," she called, the truth ringing loudly in the muffled echoes.

**Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Father said that I should stay away from you," Selene whispered bashfully, seated next to Vali on a shadowed bench in one of the many palace gardens-extreme, beautiful places built for serenity and meditation, waters trickling from ancient fountains, colorful leaves swaying in the wind as they hung from creaking limbs.

She hesitated to glance up at him through her light lashes, her eyes shining with shame, her cheeks darkening as she twisted her mouth up restlessly. Vali tilted his head, gazing out at the perfectly clear view of Asgard-the golden tops of buildings glittering ravishingly in the light cast high in the sky-as he flicked a rock off of the seat beside him, green eyes looking a murky grey.

"And you always listen to your father," he murmured knowingly, and she gazed up at him, pouting, the saddest, most forlorn look overtaking her small features, reaching out to encircle his thin wrist with her fingers, her touch feather light against his skin.

"You _are_ my friend, Vali," Her accent snuck through her words, a heady mix between British and American, and she smiled crookedly at the sounds, "but I must listen to my father. He'll be cross with us if I don't."

She pulled away, albeit reluctantly, and bound up from her place beside him to clap her hands together, her petite dress, colors of blue and grey and red swirling together across the silken cloth, swaying with her excited motions, and he followed her-would follow her to the ends of the earth-to the opposite end of the garden, where she put one arm behind her back and reached around her to clasp it with the other, her auburn curls catching the light peeking through the canopy of leaves above them.

Vali shoved his hands deep into his pockets, frowning as he thought of the days he would be forced to spend without her company, and felt a severe feeling of distress wash over him. It would be unbearable. She perked up then, a hand to her mouth as if she had just done some horrendous act, and turned to him, her round irises bright with mischief, and, if Vali didn't know who he was talking to, he would have sworn the smirk that formed on her face belonged to his father.

"But you _are_ my friend."

...

"Vali! Valiiiii?" Nari was getting tired of walking in circles, aimlessly roaming his brother's favorite spots to try to track him down.

It was exhausting work, and he was sick of walking up on the pair of lovebirds in the middle of one of their talks, having to report back to his parents with a blush creeping onto his features. Nari was young, and yet, he knew more than Vali did, thanks to the magic at his fingertips.

He knew that the world was endless, that one universe could pale in comparison to another, that there were creatures in places far beyond his wildest imaginings. He knew that his blood was black, and he knew that he could create ice from his bare hands, the indigo colors of his skin always gazing back at him in reflections. He knew that Vali saw it, too, but chose to ignore the deepest parts of himself, all for precious _Selene. _The older boy would do anything for the daughter of the All-Father, and Nari wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't the most important person in his life.

Childish love, Sigyn had called it-or his _mother_ had called it. He so often forgot to label them as parents, when his father frequently called his wife 'Sigyn' and she called him 'Loki', and it was hard to do it in front of them, too. But addressing them by their names usually offended his mother, and he never wanted to see her frown. It made something deep within him yearn to comfort her, to make her sadness dissipate entirely.

It was instinct, Loki'd offered one night, nestled into the warm confines of the blankets as he leaned against the headboard, gazing lazily down at his son as he smirked knowledgably, the candlelight dancing over his sharp features. They'd talked a lot like that, curled up against each other, bedtime stories abandoned for more mature conversations. Nari had learned more than he could ever remember, but he managed to tuck it away in the back of his mind, stored for a rainy day, and today was such a day.

He traced every one of his brother's daily patterns, and tracked down Thor and Jane to be on the safe side-Selene was nowhere to be found. He toddled along on his tiny legs to find his parents, and Loki laughed, making a crass comment about his son and niece, and how scandalous such an arrangement would be. Sigyn promptly slapped him on the shoulder and gave him a terse look, and Nari sighed as he slipped between their legs to walk off down the hall, making his way back to the garden.

There was just something about it-he could _feel_ it, tingling like needles at his fingertips, humming in his ears. It hung electric in the air, like a tangible stream he could follow and brush his palms against, and he closed his eyes, remembering the lessons Loki'd given him in magic.

The memory sprang up, unbidden, and he watched it play out as he concentrated.

_Loki's hands felt neither hot nor cold against Nari's skin, and he guessed it was because they were the same temperature, as his father swept his fingers in a wide arc, slashing green light through the air with expertise, the emerald wisps trailing across the room and out the door. Loki pointed, smirking proudly, and began to snicker as his small son gazed up at him curiously, captivated. _

_"That's where your mother went. I have a…connection with her. This spell, if you use it right, will track anyone that you know-that is, if you have a bond with them," he whispered in the near darkness, and at the boy's silent, amazed gape, he laughed warmly and hugged his son to his chest, patting him on the back with long, slender fingers. _

Nari thought hard about all of the times spent alongside his brother, and felt a smile tugging at his mouth as the familiar warmth of energy kissed his fingertips, and the smell of rain fell heavy in the air. He opened his eyes to see a stark trail of silver hovering, zigzagging, in the air, like something stuck in place, leading from the gardens and disappearing down a nearby path. He smirked and congratulated himself on a successful spell, and quickly shuffled over to the edge of the garden to hurry down the narrowing route, hoping with all hope that he wouldn't encounter another one of the childish love sessions his parents often joked about, much to Thor's ire.

But, of course, it was only a matter of time.

**Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm not making a jest, Loki. Selene is Vali's _cousin_. If they continue these games, I'll have no choice but to permanently separate them," Thor warned lowly, glaring over at his brother as the dark haired god poured a glass of wine and handed it off to Jane, who raised her drink in thanks, smirking amusedly, her brown eyes glowing in the light of the throne room. Loki sighed exaggeratedly and cocked his head, sending a teasing glance at Thor.

"They're children, brother. And technically, _not_ related," He stifled a laugh and poured more crimson wine into his own glass, "Why do you insist on letting their little outings upset you so much?" Thor jumped up, hands curled into fists, and huffed, laughing in disbelief as he looked to Jane, dressed in a plain, golden wrap of silk, for backup, and she just shrugged and touched her lips to the rim of her cup.

"Loki's right, Thor," Sigyn offered lazily, reclined on the throne, her legs bent over the large, golden arm, silver hair hanging off the other side, her green dress pouring over the seat to pool onto the slick floor. "Children grow out of things, and they're only seven. Before you know it, they'll be like brother and sister."

He snorted at his sister-in-law and frowned up at the high ceiling.

"Or married," Loki whispered jokingly, and Thor's head snapped in his direction, blue eyes swirling with annoyance as he rushed over to his brother, hand poised as if to slap him. Loki blinked steadily, and smiled goodheartedly, putting a slow hand on Thor's own to lower it, safely out of the danger of being struck.

"I was kidding," Loki murmured, "Just calm down, Thor. Vali is a good son, and he cares for your daughter-but children are volatile and indecisive. He'll grow out of it, like Sigyn said, and my niece will come out of it perfectly unscathed. Besides, no two children become infatuated with the other and carry that on through the rest of their lives. You shouldn't worry." Thor sucked in a breath and opened his mouth to speak, but Jane cut him off, walking up beside him to put a hand on his arm.

"Um, didn't you and Sigyn have a thing for each other when you were kids?" Thor turned to his wife and smiled, whipping back around to point a finger at his brother, reminding Loki of all the many times Thor had discovered something that could tip an argument in his favor-always savoring every moment.

"Exactly!" Thor shouted, and Sigyn rolled her eyes, laughing.

"We weren't _children_-and that's different," Loki barked indignantly, slamming his wine glass down before crossing his arms, and Thor put a hand on his hip, one brow lifted.

"You weren't children, but you weren't adults, either." He looked around him, as if to gain approval from some hidden entity, and glanced fleetingly at the throne Sigyn was lounging on.

"Loki, you need to have a talk with Vali." The trickster leveled the king with a deadpan glare, shaking his head increasingly faster-reminding both brothers of a moment ages ago (sitting on the steps of the banquet hall, the plan for Jotunheim already turning gears in Thor's head, Loki's warnings falling against deaf ears, eyes lit with concern and fear, as sharp and acrid as it could ever be)-and frowning deeply.

"No. I will not tell my son to ignore his only friend just because her father is a giant a-"

"Aaaand that's enough, boys," Jane interrupted hurriedly, looping her arm through her husband's to tug him along, and Thor sent Loki a crude gesture before storming off, fuming at the echo of his brother's amused snicker.

...

"Father won't find us here," Selene whispered slowly, both children acting like they were on some top secret covert operation, Vali's hand wrapped securely in hers, her warm fingers pressed to his. He smiled at her and tugged her away from the path they were making through the undergrowth of the forest Selene had led him to.

"Aunt Sigyn used to sneak me away and show me all of these places, and said that this used to be one of Uncle's favorite spots. She said that they used to come here often." Vali looked surprised for a moment, but he soon found himself smirking, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"I wonder what they could have done here, then." She glanced at him, genuine confusion brightening her eyes, and he withered beneath her imploring gaze, blushing.

"What did they do?" Selene asked innocently, and he turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Nothing," he ground out, and shoved a low hanging branch out of their way to lead her to a clearing, a grassless place hiding beneath a roof of trees, a shadowed spot in a world of sunlight. Selene cringed and immediately pulled back, reluctantly tugging her hand out of his to stumble back into the rays of light peeking through some of the leaves overhead, shaking her small head with fright. Vali turned back to her, beckoning, but she remained where she was, eyes shining.

"I-I don't like how that place looks, Vali. Maybe your father came here, but…it looks scary. I've never been here before; we always stuck to the path." He stuck his hand out expectantly, smiling reassuringly.

"It's alright, Selene. Mother told me about this place, once, too. She said it was peaceful, when they went. Nothing can hurt you here, it's just a forest." Vali wiggled his fingers and laughed, shaking his head at her, his green eyes looking black in the lack of brightness, and the young princess frowned, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"…Alright," she murmured uncertainly, and crept slowly to the odd looking clearing, watching her step. She fit her hand in his palm and instantly felt more at ease, offering a tiny smile as he gently guided her to sit with him, smiling as they glanced around them, spotting small animals flitting about, the hum of insects creating a steady background noise.

...

Nari angrily swatted a fly out of his line of sight and, when that resilient insect stubbornly returned, he fried it with a small fireball, and smiled to himself in satisfaction as he made his way through the forest path, bug-free. His glee didn't last long, though, when he came across a swarm of avenging flies, and no amount of fireballs could get them off of his trail, and when the bees joined in on the chase, he threw his hands down furiously, sending silver-hued energy the equivalent of a modern bug zapper their way, and laughed to himself as he heard countless popping noises behind him.

He really did hate insects.

As Nari shuffled over sketchy looking bridges-oddly placed over even weirder, unnecessary ditches-he wondered how the place was even a forest, with its obvious modifications that made it something _more_.

And then it hit him. He could recall, if he tried hard enough, Loki's many stories and lectures, one being on a specific place of Asgard-a place he had frequented as a child, a place he had introduced Sigyn to, a place of light and shadows and danger.

Nari looked to his left, wide eyed, to see patches of sunlight shining from above, and glanced to his right to see the dark places that sunlight couldn't reach, frowning uneasily. He stopped, listening, and took a breath.

Light-check.

Shadows-check.

Danger…?

As if materializing for the first time, he heard low murmurs, and instantly recognized Vali's voice, Selene's tinkling laughter following it-and Nari ran.

...

"I want to stay here forever. It's so nice," Selene said as she glanced down at their entwined hands, smiling happily. Vali, still watching the leaves above, swaying gracefully in the light wind, nodded absently, and sighed, closing his eyes to relish in the moment.

"No wonder my parents enjoyed this place."

"Vali! Selene!"

Vali's head snapped forward and he frowned, concentrating on the shouts coming from far in the forest, and shot up from his place on the ground.

"Nari?" He glanced down at Selene and helped her up, looking at her questioningly.

"What is he doing out here?" His eyes widened and he tensed.

"Oh, no. He'll tell our parents we've been out here, and your father will know." Selene gasped quietly and put a hand to her mouth, her face crumpling just as her hold on his hand tightened.

"We have to catch up to him before he can tell anyone. Split up?" The shouts sounded again, this time closer, and Selene sniffled, but nodded in agreement, preparing to sprint into the forest.

...

Nari ran as fast as his small legs would allow, and he hated that he was so small, wanting more than anything at that moment to be of Vali's age, to be old enough to be able to be taken just a bit more seriously, to be old enough to not have trouble running across a forest floor. He hopped over fallen branches and odd piles of leaves, but knew to ignore all oddities. The entire place was one single outlier, and Nari wasn't about to let his brother and cousin get captivated by its misleading appearance.

Loki's voice rang in his ears.

"_It's a place of magic, and only a select few know that it exists at all. Dark things dwell there, and I only made it out alive with my own magic."_

Vali was just about to disappear into the trees when a twig snapped behind them, and he and Selene whirled around to find the source.

"Nari?" Selene called warily, narrowing her eyes to see in the darkness. Another twig snapped, and Vali took a small step forward, curiously peering into the shadows.

_"As long as you can protect yourself-protect yourself like _we_ can-then you'll always be safe there."_

The shadows erupted into live, tangible things, and a sliver snaked out to wrap around Vali's leg, and he screamed as it yanked him to the ground.

"Vali!" Selene screamed, rushing to him, but a shadow coiled around her middle and slammed her body against a nearby tree, and she limply fell, in its embrace, to the dirt, moaning.

Nari reached them before the next shadow did, and wasn't at all surprised to find the two in peril, running at the shadows with only his instinct. He lashed out at them with knifelike tendrils of magic that lit up the space around them, and smiled triumphantly as both shadows retreated, hissing, into the darkness.

_"But if you go into that forest and _don't_ have magic at your disposal, then it will consume you, and you'll be lost for all eternity." __Nari craned his neck to give his father a disbelieving smile, and Loki laughed to himself. _

_"You think I'm lying?" "It_ is_ a reputation of yours." The man nodded and rested against the pillows of Nari's bed, thinking to himself. _

_"It's just another bedtime story," Nari murmured dismissively, and curled up on his side to prepare for sleep. _

Rushing to help Vali off of the ground, Nari noticed Selene, holding her ribs in pain as she crawled up on all fours, coughing. Vali noticed, too, and scurried over to the girl, helping her sit up, fussing over a small cut on her forehead. Nari, preoccupied with glancing over Vali's bloody nose-from where his face had smashed against the ground-found himself instead beginning to pay attention to the bright spot of crimson blooming beneath the material of Selene's multicolored dress.

Hurrying over to her, he gave her an apologetic look before lifting the skirts of her dress, and she was in such pain that she forgot to reprimand him, and Vali yelped behind his brother, at once averting his gaze, but at Nari's crestfallen sigh, the boy turned, eyes widening.

An angry gash ran across the bottom of her ribs, and a shining, crimson coated object of white peeked out past her skin, a bright thing in the middle of so much opened flesh, glowing in the dim light. Nari wasn't a healer, and his face fell as he looked to his older brother for guidance. Vali was pale, and Selene even paler, and all three children were at an utter loss for words. Selene glanced down at her wound for the fourth time and whimpered as the pain flared up, and she tried her best not to even breath, so afraid was she of the agony it would cause her.

_Loki turned, giving his son a serious look, and made sure that Nari returned it. _

_"But it's not a story, Nari. It's real, and I don't _ever _want you to go into that forest. The shadows are not easily intimidated, and their motives remain a mystery-even to me. Promise me you won't go there?" Nari swallowed thickly and nodded, blinking rapidly. _

_"But why is it so awful? Does the forest kill you?" Loki frowned, and shook his head, his voice taking on a far away, haunted tone. _

_"No one knows." _

Before anyone could scream for help, and before any of them could run to the palace, the shadows returned. But this time, they didn't attack, and slithered along the edges of the clearing, shying away from the rays of lights surrounding the grassless area.

A figure, swathed in colors of ebony, appeared, as if made of shadows itself. Nari detected the scent of magic and he shivered at its power, hoping to disappear as he huddled close to Vali, who held Selene in his arms, her body cold, blood dripping down her torso and onto his pants. She shook in his embrace, and buried her face in his chest, silent tears rolling down her marble cheeks. Vali gazed, paralyzed, up at the figure as it floated toward them, and his lips trembled with fear, and Nari's silver eyes widened as he remembered-clinging to the memory as if it could call his father to his side-Loki's last warning.

_"But whatever it is, it's surely worse than any death imaginable." _

The figure rushed toward them, swinging its limbs out to drape them in a cloak of blackness, and Selene's weak, fading scream was swallowed by the wraiths that wrapped around them all, throwing their world into silent nothingness.

**Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

On a good day, Tony would be reclined in a two person chair, languidly splayed out in the living room while he flipped through the TV channels, Pepper admonishing him for getting the coffee table dirty with his feet propped up on its surface, her grey eyes bright and annoyed.

But it wasn't a very good day, and Tony was hurriedly searching through S.H.I.E.L.D's database on all otherworldly activity while Pepper frantically struggled with herself on the decision of whether or not to call the police. No matter how many times she was told that the police wouldn't help, her long bred instinct to ask for aid was still in her, somewhere, left over from years of being taught to call three numbers. Clint was trying to call Steve and Bruce, furiously throwing his phone against a wall when he only ever got voicemail, hands curled into shaking fists as he pressed them to his eyelids, pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor as Natasha sat, stoically trying to solve the puzzle in her mind, dark eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Tony spared a glance in her direction, frowning sympathetically, and if it had been a decade earlier, the Black Widow would never have dreamed of seeing such a look cross Tony Stark's face.

"I'll find out who took them. I promise," the billionaire reassured her quietly, while Pepper had Clint run the story by her yet again, swallowing nervously as thoughts of aliens and magic and death came over her.

"I already told you a dozen times, Pepper! The kids were playing in the kitchen, and they were laughing and nothing seemed wrong, and then this huge-this _cloud_ of smoke came around them, and there was this shadow there. It looked like it was _hugging_ them or something. _Hell_, I don't know what it was-I couldn't even get to them in time before they just vanished!" Clint yelled angrily, his voice giving way to sorrow as he collapsed on the sofa, his head in his hands, shoulders trembling. Natasha hugged herself and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"They could be dead," she whispered, terrified, before glancing over at her husband, shaking her head slowly, "and we won't ever know." Clint stood and stormed halfway across the room, just barely resisting the urge to drive his fist into a wall, grinding his teeth together with rage as Pepper watched, forlorn, resting her hand on Tony's shoulder as he skimmed through countless documents and reports and pictures on the transparent tablet hovering before him.

"There's nothing here about aliens kidnapping children, and the last reported activity was a year ago-even that was small." He swiveled at the sound of Natasha's phone ringing, and she fished it out of her pants pocket to answer the call, cheeks red from the heat in her face, the suppressed urge to cry nearly overpowering as she started to talk in low tones to the Captain.

Pepper turned away, not wanting to hear the story again, and imagined Lily, with her fiery curls and floating laughter, and Rick, with his gentle smile, both caught up in that awful evil.

They were the _Avengers_, she thought bitterly. How could they let their own children slip right past them, let their families fall apart? How could any of them be so careless, to let darkness and magic and villains sneak in and steal away such cherished people?

And then Pepper gasped, a thought coming to the forefront of her mind.

_Magic_. And that's when she turned, grabbing her husband by the arm to get his distracted attention, Natasha's increasingly panicked voice slicing through the near silence, Clint's shouts of anger lost to Pepper's next statement.

"Loki will know. He always knows, and he'll help us." She turned to the distraught couple at the other side of the room, smiling reassuringly. "We need to call Loki."

...

Despite his brother's previous, taunting mockery, Thor was in a relatively good mood, and Jane giggled as he kissed her, laughing against his lips as he pressed her farther into the corner of the hall, oddly vacant. She snaked her arms over his armored chest and locked her hands around his neck, tugging him closer as he smiled against her mouth.

In the shadows, her pale skin shone like the moon, her chocolate eyes nearly black in the darkness, the light spots in her hair glinting like diffident slivers of sunshine. Her lips curved at the corners when they at last parted, glancing up at him with that gaze of hers that still managed to melt his heart.

Already, the brightness from the windows was pouring in, and her skin had new lines on it they hadn't had a few years ago. There were wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth when she smiled, her hair now not as luscious as it once was, while Thor remained eternal-forever young, forever too far from her. He tried, so very hard and so very often, to keep the thoughts at bay, and to keep the sadness away from his eyes, but his wife knew him far better than most, the set of her jaw enough to make him send her an apologetic look as she pulled gently away from his embrace.

She swallowed noiselessly.

"We'll be fine; we're always fine," she murmured softly, leaning forward so that her lips brushed the shell of his ear, kissing the side of his head when her eyes filled up with tears. He nodded, clutching her waist, sighing into her hair.

...

Loki wasn't often wrong, no matter how much Sigyn liked to think otherwise, and he knew, more than he knew anything else at that moment, that something was off. It wasn't a sneaky kind of sensation, creeping up on him when he least expected it, curling around him like the slowest of embraces, and it wasn't obvious, but the oddest moment came over him all at once, the flares of warning at the backs of his eyes, the random flashes of panic deep in his gut.

But perhaps the most convincing sign, really, was the widening of Sigyn's silvered eyes, her pale cheeks flushed with concern as she dropped her wine glass, letting it thump and spill against the carpeted floor, the only echoing sound in so much awful silence.

It was a mother's instinct, after all.

And they ran, out the doors of their bedroom and down the wide, sparkling halls, past Thor and Jane, with their foreheads pressed together in the corner, through the cavernous throne room, and out the large double doors that would have taken a good minute to open if it hadn't been for the magic Loki employed. The couple, now with a worried Thor and Jane on their heels, bound down the grand stairs two at a time, and Loki came to an abrupt halt at the bottom, taking a deep breath before closing his eyes. He imagined his children, the two boys that held his heart so closely, his niece, her blue eyes bright in his memories.

Sigyn exhaled softly beside him, and he opened his emerald eyes to see a wispy trail of green snaking down through the palace gardens and out of sight, and felt a smile pull at his lips as Thor and Jane stopped at his left, watching the magic with something akin to awe spreading on both their faces. The thunder god raised a brow, panting, and shook his head in confusion.

"Where are we going? What's going on, Loki?" Thor asked quickly, glancing over at his brother with that lingering gleam of mysticism, coupled with the new glint of concern, lying vivid in his oceanic stare. Loki gazed critically at the line of magic hovering in the air, like ivy paint splashed, suspended, somewhere within the endless borders of space, and sighed shakily.

"We're going to find our children."

...

Nari hated darkness, had hated it from day one, and cringed at the shadows tricking his eyes, nonexistent shapes forming and vanishing like some magic trick. It was near torture, to second guess everything, and he was already confused. So confused, in fact, that he had no sense of direction, and began to crawl on his hands and knees-bloodied cuts stinging his palms and raw scrapes stabbing at his legs-to where he thought Vali was, judging his location only by the familiar labored breathing.

The young boy crawled until his hands fell upon something soft, and the action cost him as his slow momentum pushed him forward, falling over the form below him with a muffled cry of pain that made his eyes burn with tears. Vali muttered beneath him, a whining, complaining noise that had Nari scrambling to his feet, and in the moment of adjustment it took for both of their eyes, Nari saw his brother's battered face and smiled widely, laughing with relief as he helped the boy up. The darkness was all around them, and neither was sure of the ground they stood on.

"Selene. Can you find her?" Vali asked quietly, shaky whispers against his brother's ear, and Nari closed his eyes, reaching out with his magic, trying to feel the young princess' presence somewhere around them, but he came up empty, and Nari, scared and trembling and close to tears, realized just how alone they were, lost in a cavern of ebony, taunting whispers floating all around them. He retracted his magic and clung to his sibling, tears strolling down his face.

"She isn't here," he mumbled into Vali's shirt sleeve, and decided to keep to himself what he had discovered, the heavy burden of knowledge weighing him down more than the dried blood on his clothes.

**Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;) And if you see any typos or errors, let me know, since I can't catch all of them.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Why would they come here?" Sigyn asked frightfully, huddled close to her husband as they trudged over the countless fallen trees strewn about the forest floor, littered with moss and dark places of rot that looked far too unnatural for anyone's liking.

Thor, arm wrapped protectively around Jane to keep her from falling over, spared a glance up at the roiling clouds, the promise of rain like a near tangible thing hanging heavy in the air. The brunette gently pushed his arm away, trying not to glare at him as she scaled the tree by herself, tossing the loosely waving strands of her hair out of her face as she threw him a lasting glance.

"I can take care of myself, Thor," she murmured quietly, almost lovingly, and he blushed crimson before nodding in remorseful agreement, swallowing nervously as he caught up with the rest of the group.

"I'm just worried, that's all."

Wrapping his hand in hers, she smiled reassuringly, and watched as Loki stopped dead in front of them, staring straight at an odd patch of darkness on the ground, right in the middle of a bare spot without trees or grass. Her light eyes widening, Sigyn put a hand to her mouth, noticing the shadows splayed on the ground, and Loki closed his eyes, sighing for a brief moment, before turning to his wife, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned a ghostly white.

"They're not here, and they're not coming back."

Thor stepped forward angrily.

"So what can we do? We cannot just _stop_."

Loki leveled him with a sharp look, rage igniting in his ivy tinted eyes, and he laughed coldly, the exact sound of it reminding Thor of the empty, dead look he'd seen so often before on his brother's face, that very same darkness that had tried its best to recur over all of the years since it had gone away, and it startled his next words right out of him.

"We're not stopping, Thor. I know where they are and who took them. I'm going to go get them back, and you're going to stay here."

Jumping forward, Sigyn and Thor both tried to grab him, stop him, hold him back from leaving, but Loki knew them better than they knew themselves, and he was already gone by the time Thor's fingers wrapped around a wrist that would have been there a second ago, green wisps of magic dissipating in the humid air.

**Sorry that this is so unbelievably short. I've been doing other things lately besides updating this fic, and I, today, can only write like two paragraphs. xD**

**Next one will be longer, promise!**

**Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated. **


	7. Chapter 7

Around the time Thor appeared in the middle of Tony's living room, they were all far too exhausted to be all that surprised, and Clint only raised his head a fraction, his eyes red and tired, and stared blankly as the thunder god, Jane, and Sigyn appeared in a blur of light next to the coffee table, all wearing distraught and fearful expressions.

"Something terrible has happened," Thor panted heavily, his breaths shaky, and Natasha glanced away from biting her nails to sigh over at him.

"Yeah, we get that," she deadpanned, tears staining her cheeks, and the god faltered at the sight-Natasha, the unbreakable, teary and scared.

At a loss for words, Sigyn inched past him to rush to the spy's aid, frowning with concern, her mirror eyes glittering with water as the frozen raindrop hanging against her throat dangled, glinting as it caught the light of Tony's living room.

"What's happened, Natasha?" Sigyn murmured questioningly, pressing her lips together while the Black Widow recounted the day's events to the newcomers, trying as best she could not to burst into tears for the _umpteenth_ time.

Saddened by the sudden turn of the previously good day, Thor took a much needed seat atop the mahogany coffee table, Jane hovering, eyes wide and shocked, behind him, a slender hand covering her mouth. Rubbing the woman's back consolingly, Sigyn thought of her sons, and of their unknown whereabouts, that pang of motherly concern slicing through her like never before, and she could only hope that Loki knew what he was doing, and where he was going.

Shakily, Clint stood to stretch his legs, his phone yet again warming his ear, forever resting between his shoulder and head, as he tried to contact Steve, and finally threw the phone down on the recliner with anger, frowning and red-faced as Pepper flinched at the sudden action.

"We should just drive over there, see if he knows anything," Tony started quietly, oddly solemn for anyone with Stark blood coursing through their veins, but Pepper stared at him, just like she had all of the times he'd gotten a bad idea and acted, impulsively and childishly, on it.

"We need Loki, Tony. Steve can't help us right now," she murmured, and looking to Thor, tilted her head, "Where is he, anyway?"

The god gave her a melancholic look and put his face in his hands, his blond tresses tumbling loosely over his thick fingers, blue eyes glistening.

"I don't know. He went to retrieve our children, and no one seems to have any idea as to where he's gone. Even Heimdall cannot see him, and I fear…"

Trailing off, he lifted his head, frowning as Jane, moving beside him, reached out to squeeze his hand reassuringly, smiling as the light caught the creases on her face, the small lines that hadn't been there years ago, her brown irises now not as bright as they were when he'd first kissed her. Ignoring the sinking feeling in his gut, and pushing down his increasing worry over Selene, Thor looked to Tony, who sat, deep in thought, with a look of pure concentration setting his features firm and tense, his body as still and silent as a statue.

Suddenly, Tony snapped his fingers, and everyone looked to him, hopefully expectant and cautiously skeptic, all shimmering eyes trained on the billionaire.

"I…got nothing," Tony murmured dejectedly, frowning sadly, and Thor slumped, face red with grief. Natasha threw her hands down and stood quickly, her teary eyes burning as she swiped at them.

"Great. Our kids are missing, we don't know where they are or who took them, and our only chance at finding them has gone on his own self-proclaimed vigilante mission and might get himself killed!" Kicking the chair she'd just been sitting in, and scaring Pepper so much that the red head jumped, Natasha balled her hands into fists and punched the back of the chair, and Tony winced as his new furniture fell victim to the abuse. Clint rushed to her and wrapped his warm arms around her waist, holding her close and murmuring in her ear, and she stilled, relaxing against his chest and sniffling, trying to quell her sadness.

For the first time in a long while, Tony was surprised to see them display such affection publicly, and the shock only served to worsen his mood. If the Black Widow was willing to be seen in such a state in front of even her closest friends, then circumstances were dire. Pepper swallowed thickly and sighed, turning to Sigyn, who watched the couple sadly, her fingers lazily running over the raindrop against her skin, her mirrored eyes bright with tears.

"Can you track him?" Pepper asked the goddess quietly, and the woman shook her head, averting her gaze to stare at her feet, still donning the green slippers that she'd neglected to change out of that morning, her pale face spotted with dots of rosy color.

"Loki is far more superior than I in sorcery; any attempt I made to track him would only result in us all being led astray. My husband is very smart, and I can only hope that he knows what he's doing." Her lilting tone faltered for the briefest of moments, and Jane looked over to her friend with concern, that familiar motherly instinct to encompass the frail woman in her embrace rising up to the surface.

But Sigyn was far from frail, and so Jane stood her ground, refocusing on comforting Thor. Clint turned his head slightly, his rough skin brushing against Natasha's fiery curls, and he furrowed his brow.

"So, we wait. We sit here and we wait for Loki to return, _if_ he returns?"

Tony stood, cracking his neck, and smiled.

"Or we go find Steve."

...

Beth was warm, soft and slumbering against his side, and Steve was content, completely and perfectly, to sit and watch the end credits of her latest favorite movie scroll across the screen, slowly fading from sight as new words appeared. Her light curls cascaded over his shoulders, and he smiled as he turned to gaze adoringly at her, the hot puffs of air emitting from her rosy lips tickling his neck as her eyes moved beneath their lids, her mind cloaked in dreams.

With his arm around her slender shoulders, he could feel the coarse material of her work clothes, her waitress' uniform still dusted with flour from earlier that day.

He could remember it, her tired, sluggish knocking, and the way she'd exaggeratedly waved her movie in the air, smiling teasingly when he'd relented and let her into his apartment. He could recall her exhausted eyes, her limbs worn from another taxing day at the restaurant, and her loving murmurs of how eager she'd been to see him when she got off, only stopping on the route from her job to his room to swing by her house and pick up her DVD.

Her name tag, slightly faded from all the times she'd nervously rubbed her thumb against its smooth surface, poked his arm, and he stifled a laugh as he shifted in his seat, slowly so that he wouldn't wake her. The wafting smell of popcorn and butter lingered in the air, and he knew that when he drove to the upbeat café in the morning, he'd still be able to smell the scent clinging to her clothes as she served him pancakes, and breakfast would be that much better.

A persistent, urgent kind of pounding interrupted to peaceful silence, and Steve sighed heavily as he turned his attention to the door, which shook slightly with the pressure being forced upon it, and he smoothly snuck out from under his snoozing girlfriend to gently and softly pad to the door, hurrying to end the knocking so it wouldn't wake her up. Opening his door, the Captain was surprised to see Thor, his hand suspended in the air, ready for another knock, and the rest of the Avengers behind him, save Bruce. Natasha and Clint both wore stony expressions, and Sigyn clung close to Jane's side as they huddled behind Thor, and Tony had a protective arm around Pepper's waist. Confused, Steve ran a hand through his light hair, swallowing.

"What is it this time?"

...

"So we just need to find Loki," Steve murmured as they hurriedly rushed down a crowded sidewalk in Manhattan, ignoring the awed stares and phones held up in the air, feet burning as they all quickened their pace to avoid the attention. Behind him, Natasha rolled her eyes, and Tony was relieved to see that she was back to her normal self.

"If it was that easy, Rogers, we'd have done it by now," she murmured sharply, and Sigyn eyes widened as she suppressed her grin, walking briskly beside Thor as his crimson cape billowed behind him.

"Maybe we should call Bruce, see what he thinks," Tony offered, panting slightly, as they all but began to jog, and Pepper, in her best heels, ground her teeth together against the nagging pain in her feet. Steve shook his head, though no one saw the gesture.

"Bruce is on a much-needed vacation." Tony rolled his eyes, and sped his walking so that he could meet Steve's eyes, glancing sideways at him as he accidentally brushed up against a staring passerby.

"By 'vacation', do you mean 'date'? Because we have more important things to worry about than-"

"He's fine, ok? We can do this without him, this time," Steve interrupted, a bit too rudely, and Tony went silent, falling back to be at Pepper's side as she gave him a sympathetic glance.

Jane, busy with the phone in her hand, looked up from its screen.

"I could contact Darcy and Erik, see if there have been any energy surges in the past few days," she suggested lightly, her thumbs flying over the keys, her mind running through all of the possibilities.

"And if there _have_ been any?" Clint asked, his bow and arrow bouncing, from where it was strapped faithfully to his body, against his back due to his quick, energy-expending walk. Jane looked to him and blinked, as if the answer was obvious.

"Then we start there. Track down the source, if we can, and maybe we can pinpoint a location, or if it's happened multiple times, we can find a common link."

Thor smiled at his wife encouragingly, and Steve nodded solemnly.

"Ok, sounds good. But first, I think we should go to Asgard and figure out what's-"

Abruptly, a flash of green blinded the group, a sphere of energy forming and bursting in front of them and blasting the windows of the small store beside them, pieces of glass shattering and raining down on them all, and Pepper screamed as she covered her face protectively, dropping to the ground in fright. Clint threw his hands over Natasha, and her gun, previously strapped, hidden, to her thigh, was already in her grasp, and Tony, splayed out on the ground atop a mound of glass, hurried to help his wife up, while Thor and Jane struggled to assist Steve, whose face was scratched and littered with cuts, small lines of red decorating his skin.

The energy faded quickly, and they all turned, still shielding their eyes from the light and shielding their ears from the screams around them, to see a familiar silhouette strewn over the sidewalk, groaning in pain as the tendrils of magic curling around his body dissipated.

Sigyn, the only one moderately unaffected by the blast, rushed to him, and knelt at his side as she turned his limp form over, so that they could see his face, and she ran her hand over his cheek worryingly, and Thor moved to her side, concern glowing bright in his eyes.

"Loki," she whispered breathlessly, and, beneath her piercing gaze, he made a small noise, his pallid eyelids closed, a thick, dark liquid coating his ebony hair. She carded her fingers though it and gasped, scared, as she looked him over.

"What's happened to you?"

But Loki didn't respond, and even his small groans of pain ceased as he went unconscious, long, aching lines of blood covering his face and hands.

**Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)**


End file.
